Pressure spray containers



Oct. 22, 1963 H. BURMEISTER PRESSURE SPRAY CONTAINERS Filed Feb. 8, 1962.INVENTOR. HENRY BURMEISTER ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,107,827PRESSURE SIRAY CGNTAINERS Henry Burmeister, 2535 12th St, Long islandCity, NY. Filed Feb. 8, 1962, Ser. No. 171,989 1 Ciairn. (Ci. 222-394)This invention relates to pressure spray cans or containers of the kindwherein an insecticide, a deodorizer or the like is contained underpressure to be released as a spray or mist upon depression of a buttonto open the valve at the top of the can.

Such valves are normally so biased that they remain closed except duringthe time that the button is held in depressed position. As a consequencethe finger which holds the button down during a more or less prolongedspraying operation becomes very tired, and in many cases some of thedischarged or exiting mist condenses on the said finger, which isundesirable when the can contains aninsecticide. Moreover, in using aninsecticide spray t is advisable that the person doing the sprayingavoid inhaling the discharged spray so that a thorough spraying of, forexample, an entire room is difficult because of the need for the personto make a quick exit from the room.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide incombination with the button-operated valve thereof means for maintainingthe button in depressed position instead of requiring the operatorsfinger to do so.

A further object of the invention is the provision of theabove-mentioned means in the form of a unitary insert which is simple inconstruction and inexpensive in cost of manufacture and which mayreadily be mounted in any standard type of spray can.

The above as well as additional and more specific ob ects will beclarified in the following description wherein reference numerals referto like-numbered parts in the accompanying drawing. It is to be notedthat the drawing is intended primarily for the purpose of illustratronand that it is therefore neither desired nor intended to limit theinvention necessarily to any or all of the details shown or describedexcept insofar as they may be deemed essential to the invention.

Referring briefly to the drawing, FIG. 1 is an elevational view of astandard type of pressure spray can, with parts broken away and partlyin section, and showing the insert of the present invention mounted inposition thereon.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the same.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged elevational view of the insert per se, showing thebutton-depressing pivoted yoke in the vertical position thereof shown inbroken lines in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 shows the two elements of the insert separated from each other.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the per se.

Referring in detail to the drawing, the numeral designates a standardtype of pressure spray can which has -a depression or well :11 in thetop thereof, whose interior wall 12 has formed near the bottom thereof acircumferential groove 13. The well bottom is shown at 25.

Such cans are provided with a vertically slidable button 14, axi-allypositioned in the top of the can, and provided with means, not shown,normally maintaining the spray outlet 15 closed by normally maintainingthe button in the elevated position shown in full lines in FIG. 1.

Since such structures regarding the valve "and its biasing means arewell known and in common use, and since they play no part in the presentinvention, no details thereof are herein discussed.

The button 1.4 is shown having its top surface sloping upward in thedirection of the outlet 15, but the slope thereof is somewhatexaggerated in the drawing. Furassembled insert ther, this top surface,indicated at 145, is shown provided with transverse serrations.

The insert of the present invention consists of two members or elements17 and '18, both of which are preferably made of spring wire, or atleast of material which possesses a degree of resilienoy. The element 17is substantially U-shaped and includes the two mutually parallel theelement has the form of three sides of a rectangle, as shown. Outwardlyextending deformations 21 are formed in the arms opposite each otherspaced from the ends of the arms. arms 19 and the connecting portion orbase 20. Thus The member or element 18 constitutes a bail, whichconsists of the two arms 22 and the connecting portion 23. At theirextremities opposite the portion 23 the arms 22 having outwardlyextending pivot pins or lugs formed by deforming the said extremities ofthe arms outwardly in opposite directions.

Prior to mounting the insert 17, 18 on the can, the two elements thereofare assembled into the unitary insert shown in FIG. 5, in a manner whichis obvious, with the lugs 24 registering under the deformations 21 andthe yoke arms 22 extending upward through the concave sides of the saiddeformations or loops. Then the insert is mounted on the can in theposition shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 by pressing the eiement 17 downward inthe well '11 until it registers within the groove 13. Owing to theresiliency of the material of the element 17, when the element isregistered in the groove the legs or arms 19 spread to releasably lookthe element in the groove. In this locked position, as shown in FIG. 2,the member 17 is urged against the groove wall at four spaced points, iethe two extremities of the arms 19 and the two bends ,where the arms 19join the cross-member '28. Likewise, the resiliency of the material ofthe bail 18 results in the clamping of the arms 22 thereof in pivotingposition about the lugs 24 thereon since the arms 22 are thus confinedby the deformations 21, and the lugs by the well floor 25. With thetwo-point contact between the extremities of the arms 19 and the groovewall, not only retention of the member 17 in the groove is provided, butrotation of the member in the groove is strongly resisted. Hence, whenthe member is properly positioned as shown in FIG. 2, the bail is alwaysin proper position to be swung upward so that its cross-member 23 slidesupward on the sloping surface '16 of the depressed button.

With the insert thus mounted on the can in the position shown in FIGS. 1and 2, that is, with the cross-arm or portion 23 of the yoke 18positioned on the side of the button 14 opposite the outlet 15, thedevice is ready for use.

In use, the button 14 is initially depressed to, for example, theposition thereof shown in broken lines in FIG. 1, and then the yoke .18is swung to the left to engage the top surface of the button to maintainthe button in depressed position and thus maintain the valve, not shown,in open position to provide a continuous discharge of the spray untilthe yoke is swung out of engagement with the but-ton. The serrations 16in the top surface of the button serve to keep the yoke from slippingoif the button. The device will operate without having the top surfaceof the button either sloping or serrated, but both of these features addto the facility and efiiciency of operations.

In cases where it is desirable to spray thoroughly an entire room,whether with an insecticide or any other substance, the button may beheld in depressed position in the manner set forth immediately aftersetting the can at rest in the room and then closing the door, to permitthe entire contents of the can to be discharged into the room. Withoutthe benefit of the present invention such a thorough spraying would beimpractical if not impossible, since it is dangerous for a person toremain in the room during such a thorough spraying, especially in thecase of an insecticide.

While the invention has been described with particular reference to thedisclosure in the drawing, such is not to be construed as a limitationupon the invention which is best defined in the accompanying claim.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters iatent is asfollows:

In combination with a pressure spray container having a well in the topthereof, the well having a floor and a circumferential groove in theinner wall thereof positioned above the floor, a normally upwardly urgedbutton in the top of the container axially positioned with respect tothe well and adapted to be manually depressed to actuate the spray, thebutton having a spray outlet on one side thereof, the top surface of thebutton sloping to a maximum height on said side thereof and havingtransverse serrations therein, a two-part attachment for maintaining thebutton in depressed position consisting of a resilient U-shaped memberincluding two substantially parallel arms of equal length and across-member connecting the arms at one end of the member, the armsbeing normally flexed to spread into substantial mutual parallelity, themember being inserted into the groove while pressing said arms towardeach other whence upon release thereof the extremities of the armsspread into frictional contact with two spaced points in the wall of thegroove, said arms having opposed arcuate deformations therein, a bailincluding two opposed arms and a cross-member joining the arms at oneend a spaced two-point frictional contact of the extremities of the armsof the U-shaped member restrain the member against rotation in thegroove, the bail having a length approximately equal to the verticaldistance bet-ween the U- shaped member and the midpoint of the topsurface of the depressed button whereby the bail may be swung upward toengage the cross-member thereof with the top surface of the depressedbutton.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,868,821 Fuller July 26, 1932 2,508,308 Turak May 16, 1950 2,564,733Sipkin Aug. 21, 1951 2,757,964 Both etal Aug. 7, 1956 2,913,154 KulferNov. 17, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 585,909 Canada Oct. 27, 1959

